


In A Darker Universe

by Daydreamer



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Anal Sex, Dark Naruto fic, Fight Sex, M/M, Orgasm, Rough Sex, Sexual Content, Violence, ninjaverse, past Suigetsu/Sasuke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-29
Updated: 2015-02-07
Packaged: 2017-11-19 19:27:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/576806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydreamer/pseuds/Daydreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto chose to embrace his darkness to save his village and was punished for it. Now he is loyal only to Sasuke and though his affections flow deeper than friendship, Sasuke seems immune to his lusts...or is he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Something I wrote a few years ago. I've edited it a little to make it fit in more with current events in the manga so their maybe some small spoilers for the current villains in the manga. Enjoy.

_The decisions made can often determine the fate of more than just a single person. Dark and light--different sides of the same coin--circle each other in a constant and equal battle for dominance. Each are created by the choices a person makes. A test. A challenge and the choice made in a pivotal moment can set the world on its ear and change the world for the better or for the worse._

The wind whistled through the trees littering the landscape of Fire Country in colors of brilliant green. Upon a mountain, the Akatsuki stronghold was a place feared by many. No longer in the shadows, the men who were monsters ruled the world and everything in it. Only a few dared to oppose them and were crushed beneath their sandals. The leadership of Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki was absolute. Those who opposed them, died painfully and mercilessly.

“You were stupid, Gen Shiba.” A dark voice echoed through the room, its barely contained violence striking fear into all.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. They made me do it. I won’t cross you again. Please, Uzumaki- _sama_.” The man sniveled before the lean frame clad in a mixture of blacks and oranges. A foot kicked out, slamming into the man’s abdomen, sending him crashing to the floor in pain.

White teeth gleamed bright in the torch lit room. The cowering shinobi whimpered pitifully--prostrate before his judgment. A quick glance behind him spoke of Sasuke’s presence, a calm and control to his wild temper. Naruto Uzumaki--demon container for the former shinobi village of Konoha--withdrew a kunai with a speed to rival his long dead father and slit the throat of the man before him in one smooth motion. There was no pity or regret upon seeing fearful eyes grow wide in shock and terror.

Blood arched in a fountain spray of red--the victim, unable to scream, gurgled out the last sounds of his life before going limp in the growing pool of crimson. Pupils blew and finally a last gurgled breath before life fled the man's face. The feel of Sasuke’s amusement behind Naruto gave him cause to turn and questions.

“What?”

Sasuke shook his head, smirk lifting one corner of his mouth--a telltale sign of his amusement. “Did you have to kill him?”

“He was a spy for Konoha rebels.” Naruto snarled towards Sasuke. He’d only been with the Akatsuki for four years but in that time, he’d help make it what it was and no other held a position closer to the nearly demonic Uchiha leader. Naruto was his only confidant. They possessed a connection far deeper than what most ever dreamed.

Sasuke shrugged lazily. “They are nothing to us--a futile resistance that is all but wiped out.”

“He still needed to die. I don’t plan to ever let anyone loyal to Konoha live,” snarled Naruto.

“Even Sakura?” That was a heated topic between them. Naruto’s loyalty was for Sasuke alone, but a small glimmer in his heart reminded him of the closeness he’d once shared with her. That she was a leader in the Konoha forces made the question all the more painful as was evident when he grimaced at her name.

“Even Sakura,” he said. “If we couldn’t turn her.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the familiar comment before turning them back to the body cooling in the room. His lips curled at the coppery scent of blood mixed with the ammonia smell of urine.

“We could have interrogated him. He might have held information we could have used.” Sasuke stepped forward, the tip of one sandal barely missing the coagulating pool of blood.

Naruto snorted, wiping his kunai on shirt of the fallen shinobi before them. “Not likely. Kakashi wouldn’t dare send in someone who could be broken. They either sealed away anything of importance or he never knew anything to begin with. He was probably positioned to feed information back to the resistance.”

“Which begs the question, how did he last this long?”

Naruto shrugged. “I don’t really care. I’ll kill anyone who threatens us.” The unspoken you wasn’t missed by either.

“Naruto.”

He turned back to see Sasuke lounging lazily against the wall. “What?”

“Have someone clean up this mess, then have them toss the body where Konoha will find it.” Sasuke smirked lazily.

“Why don’t you do it, bastard?”

Sasuke’s smirk grew even wider. “That’s what I have you for.”

Naruto sniffed, stepping over the dead body and making his way from chamber without the slightest pause in motion. Sasuke didn’t follow. He didn’t expect him too. Their relationship had never gone beyond what it was now. They spoke words of comfort when they were needed and advice even when it wasn’t. Both knew the affection each other possessed and both feared giving in to it. Perhaps it was the fear of loving the other only to lose them in their chaotic, crazy lives. If they gave in to the temptation, they could very well destroy each other and all they had created. Sasuke had given him a life and a purpose. Who would have thought Madara and ironically Obito's plan to create peace by ruling the world would work so beautifully in their hands, even if their ultimate goal did not come to bear the fruit they had hoped.

Naruto chuckled darkly. Thinking back on his life, he wondered how things could have been different had the fates not dealt them their prospective hands? When faced with his own darkness and in an attempt to save the shinobi world from destruction, he’d embraced that small tendril of evil. Never did he consider the fork in the road of his fate. It never crossed his mind in the moment he accepted the darkness always present inside him. It wasn't even the Kyuubi trapped inside him that created that small bit of evil. It was simply the natural evil found in every human. He had taken the same path Sasuke faced so long ago in his search for the power to defeat his brother. The quickest path to power was always the darkest one.

What Naruto hadn’t realized as he stood above Madara and Obito's bodies, blood dripping crimson from his hands, that the world feared him more than they ever had the instigator of turmoil.

At first he tried to control it. It was a part of him and unable to be separated by seals or jutsus. Each step forward in control brought about two steps back. He could no longer deny his addiction to the feel of the power. As the saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely and Naruto had power--dark, dangerous power.

After the short, but horrifying war, Sasuke had escaped to rebuild Akatsuki as a powerful shinobi organization loyal only to their clients. His own corruption from both Orochimaru and Obito had tainted him from ever finding peace in the village. Sasuke’s own darkness was a stain on the pristine concept of Konoha.

The betrayal against Naruto came much less obviously. Despite the darkness, he attempted to conform. He had come to understand Sasuke would never return and had made his peace with that knowledge. His darkness, tamped down with every force of his being, was released in all its dark glory on a summer afternoon, a short month after the apparent peace brought on by Naruto's sacrifice and the end of the more dangerous of the many threats to the village.

Naruto, a small part of him still innocent, had never seen the following events coming. A special council was convened to evaluate the safety in allowing Naruto to roam about the village freely. Many had seen his demon like aura and horrifying brutality during his final battle against the dual attacks from Madara and Obito--seen it and feared it. To them, the next great threat resided in their very village.

He was deemed too powerful to imprison and too dangerous to live. The village--the place he had dedicated 16 years of his life to--had betrayed him as they had the Uchiha clan…as they had Itachi Uchiha. An army of ANBU was sent to execute him. The most horrifying of all was the order possessed the seal of the Fifth Hokage.

Standing amidst the death he’d wrought on the attacking force, he had screamed out at the scroll. An order of execution. His village had betrayed him so thoroughly; the darkness lurking in the back of his mind had struck with the full force of his wrath. All he had ever wanted was to be accepted in his village and yet they turned on him after all he had done.

When the bloodlust faded, he’d found himself standing in a massacre much like what Pein had brought months prior. Bodies of the dead, both shinobi and villagers, littered the ground. Those who survived took shelter in the nearby caves. Naruto felt nothing--no anger at himself for having destroyed the home of his birth, no shame for having slaughtered hundreds of people. If anything, he felt pleasure and satisfaction for repaying the service extended to him. His fall from grace was complete. A monster had been created. Perhaps that had been Madara’s ultimate plan all along.

Sasuke found him a week later, holed up in a cave at the border of Fire Country. He often wondered how Sasuke knew where to find him. A cold hand offered to him was all it took for Naruto’s loyalty to once more reside with his friend. From that moment, Sasuke’s cool reserve tempered Naruto’s wild, dark nature. Sasuke’s cold nature, created from the world gone mad days of their youth, was the perfect accompaniment to Naruto blazing darkness.

Each would defer to the other in cases where a decision must be made and together they made the Akatsuki a force to be reckoned with. Akatsuki ruled the entire shinobi world in the short span of four years. Daimyos and villagers alike answered to them. Their power was ultimate--paid in the blood of all who opposed them.

Naruto and Sasuke were kings, but like all empires, they were threatened time and again by resistant movements. Konoha, once a mighty force, had been reduced to mere resistance against them. Naruto took great pleasure in handling those found to be loyal to them.

It didn’t matter. They could ram their heads against the Akatsuki as many times as they liked. He would crush each of them beneath his feet time and again. Their own fear had brought this upon them and Naruto was happy to let them stew in their mistakes until the end of time.

Opening the door to his private rooms, he stilled at the sight lounging across a chaise. Suigetsu. Naruto’s blood boiled quietly under his skin. He longed to sink his nails into his pale skin, peeling every inch from him while he screamed in agony from the all encompassing pain.

“What are you doing here?” He didn’t bother to stop the barely tempered violence in his voice. If not for Sasuke, he would have killed the water shinobi years ago and likely taken enormous pleasure in it.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Suigetsu swung his feet from the chaise, climbing smoothly to his feet.

Naruto’s lips lifted in a snarl. “Get out.”

“Hmm, I think you should play nice. Sasuke wouldn’t be happy if you tried to hurt me. We all know how much your happiness depends on his.” Suigetsu slid against Naruto, his hands lifting to pat a broad shoulder. “And I make him very happy.”

Naruto’s anger erupted, his speed unmatched. A careful swipe of his kunai gripped hand passed through where Suigetsu’s neck should have been only to find his hand passing through water. “You chicken piece of shit!”

“Tsk. What would Sasuke say if you hurt me? You remember what happened last time, don’t you?”

He did. He remembered Sasuke’s refusal to speak with him while Suigetsu’s body lay broken in the infirmary. He remembered destroying three training grounds until Sasuke spoke the careful words, warning him if he ever attacked Suigetsu again, he would never speak to him again. Petty threat it seemed, but a risk Naruto was not willing to take.

“I see you do.” Suigetsu moved back to circle Naruto like a shark.

“Get out!”

Suigetsu grinned, his sharp jagged teeth catching the faint light. “Did you know Sasuke makes the most arousing sounds when he cums? His back arches so prettily and his nipples darken ever so slightly in color. I can make him scream while buried in him. Do you know what’s even better than fucking Sasuke? It’s knowing that you want him so bad you would kill for one night. It’s knowing that while I’m fucking him, you are alone in your rooms jerking off to what it would be like. It’s knowing that Sasuke is mine and not yours--will never be yours.”

What little bit of control Naruto had was diminished with those words. He wheeled around, moving even too fast for Suigetsu to activate his water jutsu or replace himself with a clone. There was no time as Naruto had him pressed against the wall, the tip of a kunai scraping the base of his throat. “Don’t think you have the control, Suigetsu. I don’t care if Sasuke never speaks to me again as long as I have the pleasure of ending your life. Sasuke will never be yours. He might not be mine, but he will never be yours. You should consider yourself lucky I don’t kill you where you stand. I would take great pleasure in slicing you open to feast upon your entrails. The kyuubi likes that thought as well.”

Naruto smiled darkly, his eyes flashing to the feral red. The radiating heat of his chakra sent Suigetsu screaming--the burning licks scorching away patches of skin. He didn’t care. His inner demons, more friends than enemies, screamed for the blood they could taste. The scent of burned flesh rushed into the air and Naruto reveled in it. Suigetsu’s pain was his pleasure.

“Naruto!”

Naruto’s red eyes glared dangerously towards where Sasuke stood, his face an impassive mask. It was impossible to tell what thoughts were running through his mind. Was he angry for Suigetsu’s injuries? Did care? Would he now lose any hope of staying by Sasuke’s side?

His insecurities made his chakra burn even brighter, screams from his victim alerting him to the fact. Though he loathed stopping, he called in his chakra under the weight of Sasuke’s cool aura. Only Sasuke could leash the beast inside.

“Let him go.”

Naruto growled low in his throat but did as commanded. He watched Sasuke dispassionately observe Suigetsu slump to the ground, small burns littering his body. Almost instantly a group of medics rushed in the room, taking Suigetsu away for healing.

“He started it!” Naruto growled, not waiting for what Sasuke would say provided he ever spoke to him again.

“Shut up.” Sasuke’s dark eyes burrowed holes straight to Naruto’s soul. “I told you what would happen if you attacked him again.”

“But Sasuke--”

“Your only saving grace is that I know he spurred you into attacking. I don’t take kindly to manipulation, regardless of who it comes from. I won’t ever be manipulated again.”

Naruto blinked a few times. “So…you aren’t mad?”

“No. I’m fucking furious. I would suggest you not speak to me for a while or you might find yourself with a chidori laced blade through your heart.” Sasuke turned with flourish, storming from the room.

Naruto, left alone with his thoughts, was prepared for the worst. At least Sasuke’s anger had been a bit less vicious than in their past disagreements involving Suigetsu. He would leave Sasuke to whatever brooding the other wished to participate in. At least he was still wanted at Sasuke’s side.

The tension of Suigetsu’s inflammatory comments and Sasuke’s subdued anger was reaching a head. It churned just below the surface, threatening to blow at any given moment. Unless he wanted to destroy their entire safe hold, he would need to work off energy. In a best case scenario, he would find some low ranking shinobi to fuck or kill. Today, his mood felt much darker. Only fucking Sasuke--an impossible event--or sparring with Sasuke would completely appease his dark desire to destroy everything. A second, less desirable but just as effective, option would be to run his body into the ground. It would destroy their training grounds, but was a better option than destroying a large part of the Akatsuki organization, possibly including Sasuke. That was an unthinkable option as far as he was concerned.

Popping the bones in his neck, he trotted quickly towards the training area only to find it already occupied. His eyes widened and breath caught in his lungs at the sight before him.

Sasuke, naked from the waist up, was in the process of destroying their training area and doing a damn good job of it. Sweat gleamed on pale skin--his muscles stretching and bunching beneath his skin. Unable to stop himself, his own killing instincts took control. Every fiber in his body called for him to claim what had always been his.

The darker, more violent part of him, screamed for a taste of Sasuke. It wanted to strike, to force Sasuke to the ground and take what had been denied him for so long. It was a hard thing to resist when the kyuubi began to make rumblings of wanting the same.

The faint scent of blood was the straw breaking the horse’s back. Blood, sweat, and Sasuke’s dark aura were the siren’s call to Naruto’s own darkness. There would be no stopping him. He would take what was his. The kyuubi crowed loudly, its own lust for conquering adding to the heat building inside.

A flash of movement was all the warning Sasuke was given before he was plowed to the ground, grunting under Naruto’s weight. His body reacted before his mind was able to digest the attack. The chidori flared down the arm he plowed forward in a deadly blow, missing the blond body by inches.

“Naruto? What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Naruto didn’t answer, only snarled from where he’d jumped to dodge what would have been a fatal blow. Neither he nor Sasuke gave an inch whether it was sparring or actual battle. It made them all the deadlier because of their natural instincts to kill.

“Mine!” Naruto snarled, lunging forward again. A quick swipe of extended claws was easily dodged; the plunging attack with rasengen from above was not. Sasuke’s body went flying only to give a loud pop signaling Naruto’s attack struck only a clone.

Sasuke’s eyes glared red, sharingan spinning wildly several feet away. “I told you to leave me alone.”

It was Sasuke’s turn to attack having recovered his katana from where he’d dropped it. His chidori shot down his arm and into the metal weapon. The sound of chirping filled the air, producing a large feral grin across Naruto’s face. “Don’t think you can stop me with that old trick.”

Naruto grunted as a shadow clone of Sasuke appeared from behind to bring a kunai to his throat.

“Are you looking for a fight? Or maybe you want something else?” Sasuke snarled.

“Bastard.” The familiar title only made Sasuke smirk.

“You must be off your game to have been subdued so easily,” he smirked.

A kunai slid against Sasuke’s throat and soft words whispered in his ear. “The only one off his game is you.”

The restrained Naruto dissipated with a loud pop. Sasuke’s wide eyes turned towards Naruto. “I didn’t see you move.”

“I didn’t want you to.” Naruto took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of Sasuke and sweat. “I’m claiming you as mine. Suigetsu can go to hell and I will send him there if he tries to touch you again.”

Without further words, Naruto sunk his teeth into Sasuke’s shoulder in nearly the same spot where once Orochimaru‘s mark lay. “Fuck Naruto! What the hell are you doing?”

The taste of blood filling his mouth was divine. That it was Sasuke’s blood made it all the more addicting. He released the flesh, arms holding Sasuke still despite his struggles. His tongue began to stroke the mark, savoring the blood oozing freely.

Sasuke’s breath stuttered in his lungs. “N-Naruto?”

“I’m going to fuck you so hard; you won’t remember any other but me.” Naruto slammed Sasuke to the floor, forcing a gasp from the other.

Sasuke, having gotten over the initial shock, began to struggle. His fist pulled back, plowing forward only to be caught in a tan palm. The strong arm forced Sasuke’s arms to his sides.

Naruto chuckled darkly. “Tsk, Sasuke. You and I have been skirting around this for years.”

“You’re an idiot if you think I’m in the mood for a fucking.”

“I think you are very much in the mood for a fucking.” Naruto purred. His knee slid easily between Sasuke’s thighs and up against the distinctively hard bulge. “You’re hard Sasuke.”

“Fuck, Naruto!” Sasuke struggled to pull his arms free of the powerful hands.

“No.” Naruto lowered his face so they were eye to eye. “Fuck Sasuke.”

His lips smashed into Sasuke’s. The taste, faintly of mint, flowed into Naruto’s mouth. His tongue dipped inside for a quick swipe before pulling away. Sasuke’s teeth snapped at Naruto’s lip adding a taste of blood to the kiss, the pain only serving to drive Naruto all the wilder. “I like it rough, bastard.”

Naruto pressed his knee harder into Sasuke’s crotch, earning him a deep moan. Not as high and mighty now, thought Naruto.

His hands released Sasuke’s arms, nails scraping over the pale chest, leaving darkening scratches with just the hint of blood. Naruto’s grin deepened as Sasuke moaned beneath the violent assault, his own hands lifting to scrape furrows down Naruto’s back.

Naruto wasn’t a lover. His nature demanded violence. This act was how both showed their affection. The world they were raised in demanded less of the heart and more of the body. Possession was all they knew. Sasuke was his. He was Sasuke’s. It was the only way they could understand each other. That both had sacrificed so much for the power they possessed, taking this bit of pleasure from each other made the consequences of their actions all the easier to bear.

Sasuke’s pants were discarded in a quick motion. Pale legs wrapped around his waist, forcing Naruto to his back. Lips pulled back in an angry growl. Sasuke’s cool demeanor did little to cool the heat.

“I’m not some low class shinobi you can fuck and throw away.” Sasuke snaked his hands into Naruto’s hair, clenching them and forcing Naruto’s neck in a painful arch. “I know about the little whores you fuck. I took great pleasure in killing each and every one of them.”

Naruto’s eyes widened, surprised at the revelation. He never visited the same man or woman twice. Their faces were wiped from his memory. If they had died or left, he wouldn’t have known or cared. The jealous glare in Sasuke’s spinning red eyes told all and made his passion burn all the brighter.

“Sasuke--”

“Don’t speak.” It was Sasuke’s turn to capture lips. His teeth bit hard into Naruto’s lip, drawing more blood and pain from the previously injured skin.

“Fuck!” Naruto screamed, tackling Sasuke to his back once more. The dust of the training ground rose up thickly around them, each fighting for dominance--each wanting to possess the other completely.

Sasuke sat back on his haunches, his tongue dipping out to lap at the blood trickling down his chin. His eyes drew Naruto in, possessed him in all ways. They were the same. Both scarred. Both feared the world over. They were kings, but to each other they were merely Sasuke and Naruto. Dominance and passion warred with each other, their bodies crashing together in heat and lust.

Naruto’s physical strength overpowered Sasuke, taking him to his knees once more. His tan body pressed against the warm back, hands forcing Sasuke’s legs to spread and offer up his submission.

Sasuke, being the person he was, refused to relent to the demand. His leg kicked out, striking Naruto’s abdomen and producing a loud grunt. Any satisfaction was short lived. Naruto retaliated with a harsh bite over the previously abused skin on Sasuke’s shoulder. His hands snatched Sasuke’s hair and forced him to bend to the will. His erection, throbbing with need, teased the pink pucker.

“You’re mine,” he purred before plunging into the heat.

Sasuke screamed, his body clenching so tight Naruto’s eyes closed at the internal embrace. He loved the sound of the scream. There was no lubrication or preparation. This was about possession as much as it was about release. Both men, wanting it hard. The pain only served to inflame them both all the more.

Waiting wasn’t an option for either as Naruto began a hard pounding rhythm. Their sweat and blood mingled together, making their bodies slide all the more pleasantly across each other.

“Do you…like that, Sasuke,” gasped Naruto, his hips pounding into Sasuke. Though he loathed saying it, Suigetsu had been correct. The little sounds Sasuke made were powerfully arousing. He could already feel his body hardening even more as it prepared for release. Each inward thrust had Sasuke panting while releasing deep throaty cries. The cries became louder with an adjusted angle.

“Such a good bitch, taking it all,” snarled Naruto, biting down on Sasuke’s shoulder as waves of pleasure erupted through him--his cum spurting deep.

Sasuke snarled, twisting to glare, his teeth nipping at Naruto’s jaw. “Idiot.”

Sasuke shoved Naruto his back and straddled him, his thighs clenching at lean hips. With a few hard tugs on his erection, he too was releasing warm jets of cum across Naruto’s chest before collapsing weakly to the side.

“What the hell was that?” Sasuke snarled, finally recovering from his orgasm.

Naruto cracked open an eye, glaring at Sasuke for interrupting his basking. “That was me claiming you. If I see Suigetsu anywhere near you, I’ll cut off his balls before slicing open his throat.

“Took you long enough, moron.” Sasuke pressed his brow against Naruto’s sweat soaked shoulder. “I was beginning to think I would have to take control.”

Naruto only huffed, a smile playing across his lips and the first touch of peace he’d had in over four years entered his soul. Good and evil. Yin and Yang. None of it mattered. Evil was just a matter of perspective after all.

The End


	2. A World Gone Mad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very old story, written as a sequel to In a Darker Universe. Obviously, it's totally AU, but I hope you guys enjoy. I didn't edit it from it's original form, so I've no clue of the crappiness of the errors in it. I have trouble reading my stuff that's as old as this. Makes me want to rip them up and hide them from the light of day. But, a lovely commenter mentioned wishing there was more to the story and I remembered this.

Naruto felt warm. It was a strange feeling since the cold inside seemed to permeate him in ways he could never fully describe. It never went away, only coiled deeper so not to touch the warmth spreading through him. Now, the warmth burned his very soul, igniting emotions long since buried beneath the darkness. It was a strange feeling. Even before he embraced what he was, he could never remember feeling this content. Happiness seemed a lost pleasure. He felt contentment in his place at Sasuke’s side. He felt satisfaction with his role as an enforcer and second in command of the most powerful shinobi organization in the known world. This was different. This forced all other emotions aside in favor of it’s heat.

The body beside him grumbled something unintelligible and a long pale arm was flung across his torso, followed by a pale leg. Ah. The source of the warmth--both the physical and the emotional. Sasuke was the only creature on the earth who could produce such powerful emotions in Naruto, be it love or anger. Any other emotion brought to the surface by others paled in comparison. Sasuke was his universe. For as long as he could remember, his world revolved around Sasuke. First it was a need to prove himself to the other. Then, it became friendship and acceptance followed by grief and anger. The final link in the chain of his life was…such a pitiful word cold not describe what he felt. He felt madness, jealousy, lust, and need. Sasuke was his universe and without him in it, he would go insane. Sasuke tempered the beast. His cool collectiveness kept the darkness in check.

Naruto ran a calloused finger down the pale arm, stopping at long tapered fingers. His eyes followed the motion of his hand, taking in the tiny scars and calluses that came with their way of life. Even the most skilled shinobi carried the scars of this life. He and Sasuke were no different though their scars tended to be hidden beneath the surface. The scars on their souls were harsher.

“Are you trying to be all sentimental?” Sasuke’s sleep heavy voice purred softly in his ear--the arm and leg tightened around him.

Naruto grinned pushing Sasuke to his back and straddling the pale naked hips. “No. I was occupying my time until you woke up.”

“You’re a terrible liar,” Sasuke groaned as Naruto’s lips bit sharply at his collar bone. The marks of their previous antics in bed stood out in stark relief against the pale skin. 

“Do you think?” Naruto released the skin, blood trickling in a small stream across the pale chest. His feral eyes gazed at the handy work of the night before. Scratches, bite marks, and hickeys littered Sasuke’s chest, shoulders and back. A pleased growl rolled through him, making him sit back, flip Sasuke indignantly to his stomach so he could admire the work spread across his back. Long jagged scratches ran the length of the pale back. Dried blood flecked off from some of the deeper gouges, some not stopping until they reached the curve of Sasuke’s ass.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Sasuke struggled to sit up, only serving to fire the demon inside Naruto all the more. His hand shoved Sasuke’s face to the bed, practically smothering him into the pillows. 

The hand not busy holding Sasuke down, pulled pale hips up, admiring the deep scratched just below the jut of hipbone. A second growl rumbled through him, a deep animal like sound of pleasure at having marked a mate so fully. Anyone who saw Sasuke would think he’d just been through the fight of his life. It wasn’t a lie. If Sasuke had not given his all…if he hadn’t fought back, Naruto was sure he would have died. The only comfort came with knowing Sasuke never laid down to take anything. He fought with tooth and nail. They were both monsters, each possessed with their own demons.

“Let me up you moron!” Sasuke struggled, firing Naruto’s animal instincts all the more. The struggle only made him want to subjugate Sasuke, to force him to accept him as his only mate.

“No. I like you in this position.”

Sasuke growled, a sound very similar to Naruto’s possessive purr; only this utterance possessed a mixture of lust and anger. “I’m going to kick your ass when I get up. You won’t be able to sit down for a week.”

Naruto smiled, his hand sliding down the curve of pale muscled buttock. He stopped at the red skin surrounding the very much abused puckered skin of Sasuke’s anus. The muscles twitched, Sasuke struggling even harder. The area had to be tender. The red coloring was enough of a clue to the less than comfortable state of Sasuke’s ass. “I think it’s you who won’t be able to sit for a week.”

“Bastard!” Sasuke’s renewed struggle pleased Naruto. He wasn’t blind. He could see the heavy erection hanging between Sasuke’s thighs. Their type of foreplay was just as arousing for Sasuke as it was for Naruto. They were animals lost in the heat of each other.

Bringing his hand down on Sasuke’s pale ass in a loud slap brought a particularly loud moan to break the sound of their panting breaths. Sasuke wasn’t even trying to put up the illusion of fighting. His hips ground back against Naruto, his breath coming out in short pants.

“You’re like a slut in heat,” Naruto growled, using his free hand to spread the pale cheeks again. His nose nuzzled the skin before his tongue shot out to slide over the twitching, red hole. He could still taste himself on the twitching skin. He tasted good on Sasuke.

Sasuke must have taken offense to being called a slut, his struggles renewed with a vengeance as he fought the hand keeping him completely pined to the bed. “Let me up so I can kick your ass.”

Naruto clicked his tongue, lifting his face from where it had formerly been buried in Sasuke’s ass. “Sasuke…always being difficult.”

Naruto’s hands lifted from Sasuke--the other rocketing upward ready to slam his fist in Naruto’s face but found his arms once more bound, this time with two identical Narutos. “Mother fucker!”

“Tsk, tsk. Such language.” Each of the Naruto’s grinned, obviously knowing something he didn’t. 

Of course, Sasuke wasn’t going to take this lying down. Naruto would have been surprised if he did. A pale leg shot out forcing Naruto to summon additional bunshin to keep Sasuke bound to the bed. If anything, Sasuke’s apparent arousal multiplied. Where before was only a hard erection, now said erection was a dark red and leaking profusely. Large dark veins snaked up the length, practically pulsing with Sasuke’s lust. This sent ripples of glee through Naruto.

“Looks like Sasuke likes being made helpless.” Naruto flicked tip of Sasuke’s erection, making the other hiss at the touch.

“Asshole. What makes you think that?” Obvious Sasuke was in denial.

“Oh, I don’t know. How about the fact your dick has doubled in size since I summoned the bunshin. Not to mention, you have a pretty nasty sharingan you could have long since attempted to use on me.” Naruto grinned, feeling particularly sadistic today. “You know, Sasuke. You look so fucking good when I fuck you. I wish you could see yourself.”

“Then get a fucking mirror.” Sasuke renewed his struggles. It was a game to both of them. A very arousing game, but a game all the same.

An idea occurred to Naruto. Perhaps it was a bit cruel and sadistic but it would keep him from hurting Sasuke more while getting them both off. He was fairly certain Sasuke couldn‘t take another pounding. “I have a better idea.”

Naruto brought his hands together, summoning a fifth bunshin. This one grinned and set his hands into a series of motions before transforming into an exact replica of Sasuke. Slanted eyes gazed lustfully at Naruto, perfectly mimicking Sasuke’s visage. Naruto laughed at his lover’s shocked face. “Surprised? Excited? Anxious to see me fucking you?”

“Naruto…” Sasuke struggled to pull free. “You aren’t fucking me.”

Naruto arched a brow, looking over the Sasuke bunshin. “Funny. It looks like you.”

Naruto ran the flat of his hand down the pale chest, over protruding pink nipples and down to cup the straining erection between pale thighs. “Feels like you.”

The Sasuke bunshin moaned, pushing back against Naruto in a slow grind. “Harder.”

“Sounds like you, really Sasuke…I think you are going to lose this bet.” Naruto’s teeth gleamed in the subdued lamplight.

Sasuke’s hips jerked upward as a stray hand slide up his leg to cup his balls before working its way up to his erection. Naruto’s eyes narrowed on the hand stroking his Sasuke’s cock. It might be a bunshin, but it wasn’t him. His hand shot out and grasped the wrist of the offending hand. “No one touches Sasuke but me.”

“I am you,” the bushin argued.

“No one, touches Sasuke but me.” Naruto threw the hand away from Sasuke, making him moan and arch his hips at the loss of a touch.

Naruto released the Sasuke clone and moved to Sasuke’s side, burying his hand in thick black hair before jerking the head back roughly--forcing Sasuke to stare through hooded eyes at Naruto’s face. “Never let anyone but me touch you.”

“Your bunshin are you, idiot.” Sasuke jerked his head in an attempt to free his hair from the punishing grip.

“Not even my bunshin can touch you without my say.” Naruto growled, claiming Sasuke’s lips in a painful kiss. His teeth scraped along the bruised skin, knowing full well Sasuke’s lips were cracked and sore from their violent sex on the training field the day before. He wanted to hurt Sasuke for his defiance. He wanted to savor the pain of the kiss. Sasuke was his alone and he was proving it with the kiss.

“Possessive asshole.” Sasuke’s teeth snapped at Naruto’s lips. He pulled away just in time to prevent having his lip bitten.

“Just for that, I won’t get you off.” Naruto grinned, his eyes turning to the Sasuke bunshin who was leaning against the wall, jerking frantically on a very red erection. “But that doesn’t mean I want get him off.”

Sasuke’s eyes widen, a victory Naruto couldn’t help but savor. Such a angry and aroused look from Sasuke, today was starting off very well indeed. Naruto pressed the Sasuke bunshin into the bed between Sasuke’s spread legs. The remainder of the oil he’d used previously during his and Sasuke’s adventures the previous night was quickly pored over Naruto’s erection before he was plowing deeply inside his bunshin.

The clone must have been particularly into his roleplaying. He screamed out as Sasuke had the night before. Each cry, whimper, and groan sounded nearly identical to Sasuke in Naruto’s ears. He recalled the violence of their coming together. It was a memory he would savor for years to come.

The jerk of his hips and the screaming cries coming from the Sasuke clone sent him over the edge in a very quick volley of thrusts. He could feel the bunshin beneath him shudder and whine loudly as release over took him. What amazed him more about the game was the real Sasuke’s jerking of hips. It didn’t take an expert to know Sasuke was at the edge of his orgasm, most likely only needing only the slightest of touches to send him over that precipice.

“Did you like seeing me fuck you?” Naruto dismissed the Sasuke clone along with the ones holding Sasuke’s arms and legs. Immediately, Sasuke’s hands reached for his erection with an obvious determination to get off. Naruto caught him just before his hands could wrap around their goal. “I asked you a question.”

“If I hadn’t been bound, I would have killed the poser,” snarled Sasuke.

“But look at your cock. You are about to blow.” Naruto blew a gentle breath over the tip, watching in amazement as several beads of cum pearled on the top before rolling down the shaft. “How much do you think you can take before you are spewing cum all over yourself? Do you think I can make you cum without touching you?”

“Asshole! Let me go!” Sasuke continued to struggle, but Naruto’s sharp eyes couldn’t help but notice how his hips did most of the work--arching and flailing. He was obviously searching for a touch across his cock--something to push him over the edge. 

He clucked again at Sasuke’s futile efforts. Naruto surpassed Sasuke in stamina and brute strength while Sasuke was best at speed and strategy. Together they were an unstoppable force. In the bedroom, they destroyed each other in nonstop battles for dominance and control.

Sasuke’s control was held together by a single thread. He was so close, Naruto could taste the cum waiting for the orgasmic contractions to push it forward. His tongue darted out, millimeters from Sasuke’s erection. He would come. One swipe and Sasuke would come apart at the very seam.

“Please. Please. Please.” Sasuke chanted, his eyes closed tightly. It was a different tone from the earlier fighting arrogance.

“You certainly change your tone fast.” Naruto blew another puff of air over the damp tip. Sasuke’s body tensed up, more droplets seeping from the tip and making Naruto feel a shred of compassion for his lover.

“Fine, I’ll get you off.” Naruto released one of Sasuke’s hand, sliding it behind the taunt sac at the base of Sasuke’s erection. His fingers probed against the swollen prostate externally and Sasuke exploded.

Cum shot hard across the pale chest and the other screamed so loud, Naruto was surprised shinobi guards hadn’t descended in on them. Smirking at Sasuke’s abandon, he continued to probe the prostate. It was enjoyable to see globs of cum ooze from the tip with each press to the gland. He would make sure to rub in later that Sasuke had come without even the slightest physical touch to his cock.

“Damn, maybe I should fuck a bunshin in front of you more often if you are going to react like this.” Naruto lowered his head to lap lazily at the seed splattered across Sasuke’s abdomen.

“I’ll kill you if you ever do that again,” grunted Sasuke. The threat aside, his hands were currently stroking happily though Naruto’s hair, making him put very little worry on the threat. After orgasm, their personalities seemed to change, becoming almost gentle. For all the violence they exhibit during the actual act, both were cuddlers. They enjoyed the simple act of touching each other--tracing scars and kissing hurts.

He even considered another round of sex when a knocking on the door interrupted his planning. His reaction was instantaneous and violent. One moment he was sprawled across Sasuke’s body, the next he had a kunai buried in the shoulder of a low ranking Akatsuki member. “Do you realize I could kill you now and not think the least of it? Your death means nothing to me--merely a pawn thrown away by the King.”

A quick glance to the bed showed Sasuke sitting up, pulling the sheets to wipe the cum from his stomach, and striding--abet slowly--towards where Naruto held the intruder. Naruto snarled a little at Sasuke’s calm attitude. Gone was the heated lover who gave as good as he got--replaced by an almost cold persona. If he hadn’t just witnessed Sasuke’s release, he would never have known they were two in the same.

“Don’t kill him yet.”

The addition of ‘yet’ tacked onto the sentence sent threads of pleasure through Naruto while subsequently causing the bleeding grunt to lose what remained of the color in his cheeks. A quick twist and the kunai was removed, allowing the limp body to slide to the ground in a quivering mess.

Snorting a bit at the urine stench rising from the slumped form, Naruto moved away to begin washing the smell of sex from his body. He could hear perfectly well Sasuke’s interrogation of the man from the bathroom.

“Why did you disturb us when we expressly ordered everyone to fuck off?” Sasuke’s hand lifted to grip the bleeding kunai wound. A scream erupted from the man as pale fingers pressed into the stab wound.

It was Naruto’s turn to chuckle at Sasuke’s violence. They were both very high from fucking. It made them all the more violent. Their sex was an act of violence in itself and Naruto was fully prepared to die while fucking Sasuke. They were very likely to kill each other in the act before all was said and done. Such a way to go wasn’t a bad thing at all for one of their ilk.

Sex was an outlet for both of them. It tempered their innate violence, if only enough to clear their minds. Interruptions, even post-coital, were not looked on kindly. Naruto had planned another orgasm or two from Sasuke before going about his daily duties. Having that fun interrupted was something he was not pleased about in the least. It appeared Sasuke was of the same mind.

Sasuke shot Naruto an annoyed glance, turning his attention from the poor bastard foolish enough to be assigned the duty of relaying whatever message he was charged with. “Answer me.”

“Konoha has declared itself a village. The other villages are supporting the claim. They’ve declared war on the Akatsuki. Please don‘t kill me.” The shinobi stuttered out the words as fast as he was able, obviously praying for lenience from the two shinobi lords before him.

Naruto’s blond brows were in his hairline at the revelation. “Since when has Konoha had more than a few resources to be considered a hidden village, let alone counter us.”

“The…hokage…” 

Naruto’s face grew dark and before he realized, he was crushing the air from the messenger’s throat. Had Sasuke not placed a hand on Naruto’s forearm, he was sure he would have squeezed the life from the poor excuse of a shinobi. The hokage…the position he’d always dreamed of. Now the thought brought bile to his throat and darkness to his heart. The hokage--the woman like a mother to him--had passed judgment on him and he had destroyed them all in his hurt and anger.

“Don’t kill him.” Sasuke’s dark eyes narrowed on the gasping man. “Where do your loyalties lie?”

Green eyes widened, the messenger’s mouth opening and closing in such a way to look like a fish out of water. The man‘s fear washed over them in a thick cologne, palatable in the air. “With you, Sasuke-sama.”

“So, I could torture you--drive you insane, and your answer would always be that? Would you die for us. Naruto just stabbed you with a kunai for no other reason than you interrupted us. Would you really be willing to give your life for use?” Sasuke released his hold on the injured shoulder, the tomoe in his eyes now whirling with almost dizzying speed.

“My mother died because of the hidden villages and their constant wars. The only peace this world has known has been since the Akatsuki took command.” The fear was still present in the man’s eyes, though his determination came through admirably.

“That sounds almost like something a spy would say. We’ve already killed one spy, it would be nothing to kill another, ne?” Naruto joined Sasuke in a crouch before the shinobi. “Let him live, Sasuke. He reminds me of me.”

Sasuke arched a brow at Naruto. “Arrogant much?”

“You know me. Besides, if we find out he’s a spy, it will only make killing him all the more interesting. I like how you fight when you’re angry.” Naruto nipped at Sasuke’s jaw before standing and slipping a fishnet shirt over his head.

“Get out.” Sasuke snarled at the man, not pausing to watch him scramble to his feet and out of the room. 

It wasn’t hard to see the blood lust in Sasuke’s movements. Both had their own reasons to hate Konoha. Both had been betrayed by the place they had once called home. Perhaps the death of the Uchiha was a necessary evil by Konoha standards. Perhaps the order of Naruto’s death was as well. It didn’t make it any less betrayal in their eyes. They only needed each other. 

“We should have killed Kakashi and Sakura. Why didn’t we kill them?” Sasuke rammed a chidori lit fist through the wall. It was a rare show of aggression on Sasuke’s part. Normally such responses were Naruto’s forte.

“You know why.” Naruto used his teeth to tie the end of bandages he was wrapping around his forearms.

Not long after Naruto’s destruction of his home, Kakashi along with Sakura had located him and Sasuke before they truly became mobilized with the Akatsuki. The battle was embarrassingly short with Sasuke incapacitating Kakashi and Naruto pinning Sakura to the ground, her fists useless.

They could have killed them both where they lay. It would have been easy--painless. Perhaps they should have. If they had, Konoha would not be seeking to reinstate its power. Konoha wouldn’t be trying to initiate another shinobi war. The world would have been better if they were dead. He and Sasuke would be better off if their former teammates were dead.

He’d had his kunai at her throat, ready to plunge it deep when the sight of crystalline tears gleaming on her lashes gave him pause. Despite the dark violence swirling around in him, Sakura’s tears had always had that effect on him. He’d wanted to wipe away the moisture, pull her into his arms, and beg her to tell him what was wrong. His kunai had shook in his hand. She probably could have attacked, possibly even fatally injured him. She didn’t. She had hope and he couldn’t take it from her. In that moment, he refused to be the monster worthy of her hate.

Using the kunai gripped so painfully in his hand that it bled, Naruto had knocked her unconscious. Sasuke hadn’t disputed Naruto’s actions, almost in agreement with them. Former teammates were always the hardest to kill. With Konoha in ruins, they were little threat.

Things were quite for a while, Sasuke and Naruto’s version of the Akatsuki being less bjuu orientated. One by one, the village fell under Akatsuki control. The rumblings of rebels were easily taken care of. Two dark souls--criminals by all the village’s standards--bringing about a form of peace, it seemed insane. Their world had gone mad.

“Son of a bitch.” Sasuke pressed his head against the wall.

“They can’t have much power. We can handle it.” Naruto slid his long black jacket over his shoulders. It was an amusing take on his father’s hokage robe. Instead of white with red flames, Naruto chose black. It fit who he was now, a dark hokage.

Sasuke snickered, backing away from the wall. “Since when have you been the intelligent one? Aren’t you supposed to act first and strategize later?”

“Well, if you like…” Naruto grabbed a few particularly deadly, poison laced kunai from a stand.

“You wish,” Sasuke pulled on a pair of his black trousers. As delightful as the loose gi had been during his days with Orochimaru, Sasuke had long since traded it for simple black fishnet shirt. Orochimaru’s flamboyance was a bit too much for his current personality. He was sliding armguards on when Naruto returned moments later from having instructed the guards to alert their Intel shinobi they would be meeting with them shortly.

“Do you have any idea how fucking sexy those armguards are?” Naruto could feel the drool pooling in his mouth. He remembered the first time he’d seen Sasuke after three years. His body had grown broader--the muscles more defined. The expanse of chest exposed for his eyes had been stunning but at the first touch of the armguard on his shoulder, Naruto had felt the flush of heat rush through him. Who knew he had a fetish for men in armguards? It was probably just for Sasuke. He’d never had a reaction to any other shinobi’s armguards.

“Idiot. Let’s go. If we get this taken care of quickly, I’ll let you fuck me in my armguards.” Sasuke shoved past Naruto and into the hallway.

“You’re such a bastard.” Naruto moved into step with his lover, his mood losing its playfulness in favor of the hard personality he’d had to embrace as a shinobi. He’d been trained as a child to kill. He knew all the places to plunge a kunai for instant death. The only difference between now and then was he no longer cringed when killing a person. Now, he reveled in it. He soaked up the expressions of fear and regret, branding them in his mind. He was a monster, kept in check only by his need of a certain dark eyed Uchiha.

Still, killing Sakura or even Kakashi, did not sit well with him. Perhaps it was residual affection for the two people who used to share a place in his heart. His heart used to be so filled with love for all those who cared for him. Now there was room for only one.

“You’re thinking of Sakura.” It was statement and not a question.

“Yeah. I never hesitate. I never lose my focus. With her, I’m afraid she will be the death of me.” Naruto lifted a hand to his face, almost as if to hide this sign of weakness from his lover.

“Then, I’ll kill her.”

Naruto’s eyes jumped to Sasuke’s face. “What?”

“I don’t have the overly powerful affection for her you do. It’s a simple matter of sliding this blade through her heart.” Sasuke smiled faintly. “I sometimes think you have too soft a heart. Then I see you slit an enemy’s throat with no qualms. I suppose everyone is allowed their weakness.”

“Sakura is not my weakness.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Sasuke paused, turning furious eyes to him. “If I ever hear of you touching her or wanting her…I’ll beat you within an inch of your life after torturing her so she begs for death.”

“I don’t want her Sasuke. I used to but even if I did, she can’t satisfy me. She doesn’t know what it feels like.”

The darkness in their souls. It swirled around, tainting their every action. Even actions of love or affection were stained with their sins. Both welcomed it--acknowledged it. It was a part of their souls. Each recognized it in the other and it bound them together in ways surpassing even the bond between lovers.

They pushed open the door to the war room, ready to face their enemies--destroying the world if they needed to. Nothing would stand in their way--not old friendships or affection. Their goals were all that mattered.

To be continued…


	3. A World Gone Mad

Any softness either man had for the other was lost upon entering the war room. All the men inside were battle hardened shinobi. Neither Sasuke, nor Naruto would stand for taking advice from men who had not experienced the taste of battle. To even think such things was a shame on themselves.

These shinobi were the most trusted in the entire Akatsuki. Naruto’s eyes scanned the room, pausing on each face in succession. The only member of the original Akatsuki was Kisame. Why the fighter stayed during this time of peace, Naruto wasn’t sure. The remainder of the shinobi were unknowns from varying villages. Some were too old to continue on the life of a shinobi and some were so skilled, the Akatsuki would be morons to leave untended. He trusted none of them with his life save Sasuke. Ruling the world gave people incentive to take your life and position. It was human nature.

Naruto grinned upon his eyes landing on Suigetsu. The normally pale skin was red, peeling, and in some places, horribly burned. The medics had probably discouraged him from attending the meeting but as the last surviving member of Sasuke‘s Team Taka, he probably felt some residual sense of loyalty. “Shouldn’t you be in the infirmary?”

“The alarm was sounded,” Suigetsu replied.

“Such loyalty.” 

Suigetsu grinned, showing his shark like teeth. “You would know about that, wouldn’t you?”

“I’m more loyal to Sasuke than any other man in this room.” Naruto prowled towards the other man, leaning down to whisper in his ear. “Don’t even think of winning a place in Sasuke’s bed again. He’s mine. Break this rule, and what you felt before is only a taste of the suffering I will inflict on you before you die.”

“Naruto!”

Naruto turned to see Sasuke staring intensely. He grinned and patted Suigetsu on the shoulder. A small thread of glee worked through him at the flinch. He didn’t envy the man’s ‘sunburn’.

“You can play with Suigetsu after we handle the business at hand.” Sasuke turned to one of the advisors. “Intel?”

A slender man stepped forward. His graying hair and lineless face seemed in contradiction to each other. Then after all they had seen, Naruto was surprised he and Sasuke weren’t sporting a bit more gray. He seemed more nervous than natural, making Naruto watch him closely. The man looked nearly ready to piss himself.

“Konoha has been amassing an army. They have sent emissaries to each of the remaining hidden villages to invoke support. We don‘t know which villages have agreed.” Several advisors flinched at Sasuke’s hand slamming upon the table.

“Your messenger stated war was declared on the Akatsuki by all the villages. Was he mistaken?” Sasuke snarled at the man.

“Konoha has declared war. It is only a matter of time before the others follow if things aren‘t taken in hand quickly. He was only stating the inevitable. P-Perhaps he was a little quick to speak,” he whimpered under the piercing glare.

“A little quick?” Sasuke purred. “He announced before me and Naruto that the world had declared war on us. You consider that a little over-anxious?”

“Don’t get all excited, Sasuke. I’ll take care of the little shit but still…” Naruto glanced towards the intelligence advisor. “If Konoha has amassed enough to be able to call themselves a village, let alone declare war…they obviously have support from somewhere.”

Sasuke spun from facing Naruto back to the cowering man. His jaw clenched as he fought the violence. Naruto was used to Sasuke’s more controlled temperament in these meetings. The various facets of his lover never ceased to amaze and arouse him.

“Where the fuck were our spies? I know we have them in every village and even a few with the Konoha rebels. The reason I know is because I hand picked every one of them.” Sasuke roared, his eyes blazing the red of sharingan activation.

Naruto chuckled, he liked Sasuke like this. Wild and dangerous. Even Naruto’s alpha instincts cowered when Sasuke truly exerted his dominance. It was one reason he didn’t mind allowing Sasuke the title of Leader. Sasuke thought things through much as Shikamaru had during their time in Konoha. Naruto had a more impulsive nature. He was a good second but a dangerous leader.

“Sasuke-sama…we don’t know. It’s not uncommon for deep cover spies to have trouble contacting for weeks at a time. We think that the true strength of Leaf was hidden from low ranking shinobi and it is all but impossible to implant a spy at the higher levels. Those spots are reserved for long standing Konoha loyalists.” The man stumbled back at Sasuke’s punch. He screamed, blood running down his face from the broken nose.

“Are you telling me that my advisors didn’t feel it prudent to keep me informed of possibilities such as this? Do they think these eyes taken from my brother’s head make me omnipotent?” Sasuke was furious. The entire room felt it too some degree. Only Kisame and Naruto seemed unaffected by the tirade. Both knew it would blow over shortly and leave Sasuke once more the calm and collected block of ice he usually was.

“Sasuke-sama…”

“And what of Kakashi and Sakura? No one seems to know where they disappeared to. Even the report from our spies seemed unable to draw any conclusions.”

“I don’t…I mean…I think you should…”

“Don’t talk; you’ll only dig your grave faster. Naruto isn’t the only one around here with a temper. This is my world. This is my organization. You idiots seem to forget that and allow a dangerous village to revive itself from the ashes. How should I be reacting?” Sasuke turned to Naruto who was snickering off to the side. “What are you laughing at, idiot? Don’t think you are safe from my wrath either.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Naruto snatched a map from someone’s hand and spread it across the large table arranged in the central part of the room. “Let’s save the name calling for later. Obviously shit needs to get done and I don’t like Sasuke having all the fun of beating up the idiots.”

Sasuke’s face shifted to an almost emotionless expression and he took his place beside Naruto. His shoulder brushed Naruto, an apology and promise. Naruto grinned to himself. Only he could read Sasuke fluently.

Sasuke shoved a kunai into the map over the former location of Konoha. “We haven’t had scout teams here for a while. It seemed a waste of resources. What are the chances they would set up shop in their own ruins?”

Kisame sniffed, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at the map with small beady white eyes. “It’s the one place we wouldn’t look. That place is nothing but ruins.”

Sasuke nodded, still scowling at the map. “I can’t believe they’ve amassed enough resources to actually approach the other villages.”

“There were a lot of supporters who weren’t members of Leaf.” A slender woman stepped towards the circle of men. She was the only woman allowed in his circle of advisors.

“The other villages are under control.” Sasuke commented while his eyes narrowed on her. “Do you know something we don’t, Taya?”

Taya smiled the sweet smile masking her true emotions. To Naruto, she often reminded him of Sai. Sai’s fake smiles had always rubbed him the wrong way and it wasn’t until the shell of illusion was broken did he see Sai’s true face. Taya was the same, but he found himself not wanting to see what lay beyond her facade. She was a barely contained evil, tempered to the point of unrecognizable. Naruto knew her, his darkness seethed in her presence. She was very much a dangerous person, perhaps the most dangerous after him and Sasuke. He didn’t like her. A growl rumbled from his throat as she approached Sasuke’s side. She was hiding something from them all. He could smell it.

“Maybe you aren’t looking at this from the right point of view. Take Suna for example. They held close ties to Konoha for several years before it was destroyed. Their kazekage was particularly helpful when aid was called for.” Taya tapped a slender finger over the map icon representing Suna.

“Gaara…he wouldn’t betray his ties to Akatsuki. His word was given.” Naruto growled in her direction.

“He was loyal to Konoha as well. Which would he choose if given the choice? His new alliance…or his old?”

Naruto snarled, his eyes fading from their natural blue to a deep red. “Konoha is dead. Any uprising under that name isn’t Konoha. They are just calling themselves that. You are trying to stir up trouble. Gaara knows what it’s like to be betrayed by his home.”

Taya smiled, her lips curling in almost triumph. “Yet he didn’t destroy it as you did.”

Naruto’s control broke. He charged the woman just as she’d planned. Her look of triumph wasn’t even masked as Sasuke took Naruto to the ground with a chakra enhanced punch to his solar plexus. The air rushed from his lungs and he crumpled to the ground with a thud. His lungs fought to adjust to being winded while he glared at his lover.

Sasuke’s face was hard. He crouched beside Naruto, shoving a hand into his shoulder. “You knew the rules, idiot. You knew that to attack another member of this advisory board gets you expelled from the room for the duration of this meeting.”

“Sasuke…”

“Get out. I’ll deal with you later.” Sasuke stood and turned to the map once more. “Suggestions?”

Two guards helped Naruto to his feet and escorted him from the room. Fury danced before his eyes. His tendency to act first and consider the consequences later had him in a bad position. While Sasuke wasn’t an idiot, it was possible he wouldn’t be able to see the best option without Naruto there to help him.

Naruto roared out his frustration, stalking from the doors blocking him from the meeting. He needed to burn off the energy before he destroyed the stronghold. He barely made it to the training grounds before he was razing the entire area. He’d fallen into that woman’s trap. She’d wanted Naruto gone. Now he was unable to make sure Sasuke wasn’t forced into taking an action that wasn’t the most beneficial to him.

“Fuck!” Naruto screamed, plowing his fist through a tree. The wood splintered in every direction. Small cuts formed on his cheeks and neck from flying pieces of wood.

He’d fallen for her taunting. He should have known better. He shouldn’t have let her get the best of him. His only consolation was the hope Sasuke saw through her mechanizing enough to not take every word from his serpentine lips as truth or the most beneficial. She’d tried her wiles on Sasuke upon arriving at their complex early in its creation. It had miffed her significantly when she learned Sasuke’s preference leaned more towards men. Not to say he wouldn’t fuck a woman. He’d fucked Karin once from what he’d told Naruto. He said being dominated was one of his kinks and women didn’t seem to have that power. Even if they played games and tied him up, the fact that he could over power them took a bit of the pleasure from it. Naruto guffawed, doubling over in laughter at the memory. The bitch didn’t have a dick so Sasuke wasn’t interested. 

He snarled, hearing footsteps approaching from behind. Sasuke was the only one whom he would allow to approach him in such a way. The barely hidden limp made it a very distinctive sound. A bit of dark pride worked its way into him. He’d made Sasuke limp, the other having enjoyed every minute of it.

“Why are you such an idiot?”

“Why haven’t you gotten rid of that manipulative bitch?” Naruto retorted, turning on his heels to glare through the cover of his lashes.

“She’s earned her place there.” They both stood glaring until Sasuke moved in close. “Be honest, Naruto. It was because you didn’t like her standing so close to me. So close she could touch me. You think of me as yours.”

“You are mine,” Naruto snarled, fisting Sasuke’s hair brutally.

“Keep thinking that and I’ll have to ban you from the meetings permanently.” Sasuke pulled the hand from his hair. Leaning forward, he swiped his tongue over one of the nicks dotting Naruto’s face.

A purr rumbled through Naruto’s chest, the danger neutralized in favor of Sasuke’s tongue. He wouldn’t let the slight by the woman go forgotten, but at least he was no longer in danger of leveling the stronghold.

“Did you discuss what action we should take?” Naruto ran his hands up Sasuke’s sides, feeling the rough material and the soft skin beneath.

“We made a list of those who we know are loyal and those who are circumspect. For Leaf to be able to step from the shadows, they have to be getting support somewhere. I think Gaara has betrayed us.” Sasuke spoke calmly. If he hadn’t, Naruto was likely to have turned feral.

“What proof do you have?” Naruto pulled back to stare into Sasuke’s eyes.

“We don’t. Our spies have told us that Sand has become quite the trading center despite being in the middle of a fucking desert. It’s likely with the additional money brought in by trade, Sunagakure has betrayed us. None of the other villages have the resources to support a new rising of Konoha.”

Naruto flinched at Sasuke’s words. Though he and Gaara had not spoken since the destruction of Konoha, there had been an understanding between them. Sand would not rise against the Akatsuki if the Akatsuki didn’t rise against Sand. They had gone the easiest on Sand than any of the other villages. It was Naruto’s connection with the kazekage. That Gaara might be helping those who tried to kill him angered Naruto more than anything else.

“Send me.”

Sasuke blinked, pulling back. “What?”

“Let me go to Suna. Let me talk to Gaara.” Naruto stepped away from Sasuke, his face going hard.

Sasuke tilted his head, weighing the offer. “And if Gaara admits to it?”

“I kill him.”

Sasuke’s face remained neutral though Naruto could see the wheels turning. Such an offer wasn’t something Naruto took lightly. To even hint at killing Gaara, one of his oldest connections, was almost unthinkable but not something he was afraid to do if the need arose. They’d never been true friends. Not like Sasuke. Gaara was more of a kindred spirit, someone he could relate to. Gaara’s eyes had gone sad upon hearing of Naruto’s attempted murder. He’d offered Naruto a place in Suna but by then, Naruto was firmly planted at Sasuke’s side.

“One week. If you aren‘t back in one week, we declare war on Suna and raze it to the ground.” Sasuke didn’t believe Gaara had betrayed them. He was putting his faith in Naruto’s hands. It gave Naruto pause before his pushed aside the doubt.

Naruto grinned, cracking the bones in his knuckles. “Are you up for a goodbye fuck?”

“Don’t you mean fight?” Sasuke unsheathed his katana, a gleam in his eyes upon gazing at Naruto.

“That too.” Naruto rolled his shoulders and charged Sasuke.

oOo

Naruto growled low in his throat. Had he been merely visiting Suna for itself, he would have entered through the gates. He would have checked in with the guards and gone about his merry way as if not having a care in the world. The key word was ‘if’ this had been an average trip. Today was no such thing.

In the years since his youth, Naruto had learned a few things. Most of them revolved around how to get into places without even the most skilled shinobi knowing. Since then, he’d perfected it and now he crouched on a building near the kazekage’s residence. He wanted to believe Gaara hadn’t betrayed them. He wanted to know that at least one bond other than that with Sasuke had withstood the trials their life had wrought.

“Gaara…” he growled low in his throat. He could see the movements through the window. No one would dare attempt an attack on the kazekage. ANBU level shinobi surrounded the building. They weren’t perfect. They’d left this spot in their blind spot.

The moon shone down on the village, large and round in the above sky. It was a light and just like any light, the shadows were larger in it’s fully glory. Naruto knew how to use the night. Any shinobi worth his salt knew. He also knew when shinobi were growing lazy. The ANBU shift of guard would be any moment judging by the slight fidgeting. That would be his cue.

A masked guard landed before the previously fidgeting shinobi. While their attention was diverted during the change of the guard, Naruto ducked quickly into an open window of a room the kazekage had recently vacated. He crouched in the shadows, moving stealthy through the room and into the next which housed Gaara and his new wife.

With Gaara’s attention averted, Naruto chose that moment to slam the door. Pale eyes swung to stare at him. “What…?”

“I think you and I need to talk, Gaara.” Naruto’s eyes slid to Gaara’s young civilian wife. “Alone.”

“Leave.” Gaara nudged the woman in the direction of door.

Naruto grabbed her arm, lowering his voice to barely a rumble. “Speak one word of my presence to anyone and Gaara will be dead followed shortly by you.”

The woman paled, making the smattering of freckles pop out across her nose and cheeks. Naruto squeezed his hand to insure she understood he meant business before releasing her. Her lip trembled, her eyes moving to glance at Gaara and seeing his nod, she fled through the door.

“Naruto…”

Naruto grinned though he didn’t move from his place by the door. “Gaara.”

“You usually check in at the gate when you choose to visit us,” commented Gaara.

“I didn’t know you checked the gate roster.”

“Only when I’m notified of important or dangerous persons,” answered Gaara.

Naruto smiled, cupping his hands behind his head. “And which am I?”

“Both.”

To the naked eye, both men appeared relaxed. If one looked underneath, it was easy to realize the relaxed appearance was only an illusion. Both were prepared to strike if the need arose. Gaara tilted his head, awaiting Naruto’s reasons for having broken into his home in order to see him.

“We’ve discovered some troubling news. So troubling I actually had to come in person to confront you with it.” Naruto’s eyes locked with Gaara’s, waiting for any sign of understanding. Gaara’s face was unreadable.

“What news?”

“Konoha has declared war on the Akatsuki.” Naruto’s eyes narrowed at Gaara’s sigh.

Gaara‘s eyes closed for the briefest of moments. “Have they?”

“Yes. What do you know?” Naruto’s smile didn’t drop from his face though his eyes remained cold.

“Konoha isn’t what you think and they didn’t declare war on the Akatsuki.”

“You knew! You knew and you didn’t tell us? You helped them gain power.” Naruto was both angry and hurt by Gaara’s statement. He couldn’t call their relationship friendship, but he’d always found a kindred soul in Gaara.

“I did not!” Gaara snarled in return, a reminiscent face from his days possessed by the tanuki demon. “You know the rules, Naruto. Once a village is destroyed like Konoha--if they have no way to stand on their own feet--they must return to power without help from the hidden villages. To regain their standing, they must earn it by standing on their own. Otherwise, they would have no honor amongst the others and would go unrecognized. You know this and yet you come to me with accusations.”

Gaara scowled, making Naruto want to flinch under the stare. The other was right. They should have realized the other villages wouldn’t support a village. There were rules of honor superseding any of war or peace. Honor above all else. To be recognized, a village must show the others its strength. They must be self supportive and ably staffed to handle a call to war. They must do this alone or go forever unrecognized.

Naruto’s eyes grew wide. Out of all the advisors, someone must have known this fundamental rule of shinobi villages. It was a trick. Sasuke! “That bastard…” 

Naruto turned in a flash dashing for the window, leaving an angry and confused kazekage behind. If ANBU followed him, he paid them no mind. If they impeded his return home, he would strike them down. Should they stay away, they would live to see another day. The only important thing in his mind was finding Sasuke.

“I’m a fool.” It would be a three day journey. If he was fast, he might make it in two. That would mean keeping his stops at a minimum. He should have seen it. He should have known but then Sasuke knew Naruto as well as he knew himself. He would know what would get Naruto out of the way. It wasn’t because he didn’t trust Naruto. He knew Sasuke trusted him with his life. There would be another reason. Shinobi were skilled at lies. Sasuke was going to kill Kakashi and Sakura.

Sasuke knew. He knew their history. He knew Naruto would falter in killing them. They, along with Sasuke, were Naruto’s greatest weaknesses. Destroying those bonds was beyond Naruto’s capabilities. Even now he couldn’t imagine not having Sasuke. If he was going to face Kakashi, it might not go so well. Both were able, but Kakashi was known for his resilience in battle.

Jumping over a rock buried in the sand, Naruto snarled in frustration. Traveling across the desert was slow and annoying. It required patience and stamina. Stamina--Naruto had. It was the patience he was short on. This was the worst part of the journey. It was both time consuming and frustrating. He moved at half the speed he would have had he been moving through the trees or on flat ground.

Each shift of sand beneath his feet felt like two steps back for every step he made forward. His jaw clenched until he felt the bone crack. Sasuke was stupid to allow himself to agree upon an attack without Naruto’s input. Taya had something to do with this. She’d wanted Naruto from the war room. Now he was paying the price for letting her anger him.

The night transformed to day and then night once more. Just as dawn was breaking over the horizon, Naruto reached the edge of the desert where trees began growing lushly. He paused only long enough to refill his canteen and quench his thirst. Had he been merely traveling home, he would have stopped here for the night. As that was not the case, he moved quickly to the trees.

The rhythmic motion of the trees soothed his tired body, giving him the strength to move onward. It was an all too familiar route, one he hadn’t walked in what seemed like a lifetime. The sounds of the forest swirled around him, bringing back the memories of his childhood.

Contrary to belief, his childhood hadn’t been horrific. True, he’d lived in practically squalor for most of it. The villagers mostly ignored him to the point he wondered if he even existed to anyone. Even in school, his teachers passed him on to the next level as if he was nothing but a fly they wanted out of his hair instead of truly teaching him as they should. It wasn’t until his final year did he learn anything of being a shinobi. 

Learning was difficult. He tried but doing things by the book was hard. He had no desire to be a faceless shinobi in employ of Leaf. So he acted out. He forced the people to see him. He forced them to lower their eyes from their high places and look upon him as he was. He was Naruto Uzumaki and they would look at him.

His life had changed upon being placed on a team. Sasuke had forced him to look beyond what he was and forced him to better himself if for no other reason than in hope of besting Sasuke. Those days were some he wouldn’t trade for the world.

Naruto paused to catch his breath. Uncapping the water, he sipped sparingly--just enough to wet his tongue. His body screamed at him to rest the tired muscles when the scent of smoke reached his nose, making it twitch.

There was no mistaking that smell. It was the smell of exploding tags and fire jutsus. Looking around he realized just how close he was to the remains of his childhood home.

Jumping into the highest tree, he sought a visual of the former Leaf village. Smoke rose on the horizon but he was left uncertain of what it meant.

“Sasuke…” Naruto growled and moved quickly. The sound of battle erupted through the area. Akatsuki and shinobi bearing the headband of Leaf locked weapons. The sheer number of both was astonishing. How had Konoha gotten so many shinobi?

Konoha had numbers but their shinobi were young and horribly under trained. They were barely chunin level, if that. An army of chunin had no hope against an army of jounin or higher. What was going on?

A wildly flung shuriken flew past him and a part of his soul called to him, encouraging joining the fray. He thought only of Sasuke. After he located Sasuke, he would be more than happy to give into his more animalistic nature.

Throwing back his head, he screamed out. “Sasuke!”

In a quick flurry of hand symbols, three identical Narutos popped into existence beside him. “Find Sasuke,” he ordered, sending them scurrying away.

Leaving the clones to search parts of the ruins, Naruto bounded through the streets. A force from behind gave him pause before unleashing a kunai. The Leaf shinobi fell to the ground with a thud. Naruto never gave pause. The death of the man weighed as much on his conscience as a feather might on a person’s shoulder. It was nothing.

A familiar flash of pink gave him pause. Naruto rushed towards it only to find a very pregnant Sakura crouched with kunai in hand. At least twenty children huddled behind her, terror evident in their eyes. Naruto shook his head. An army wouldn’t keep their children close, let alone pregnant women--no matter how powerful they were.

“Na-Naruto?” Sakura stared at him with both shock and dismay.

Naruto shook his head, turning his back to her and leaving the group. Sasuke was more important than a handful of crying children. 

“Don’t you turn your back on me!” Sakura screamed, charging him with her kunai, which he deflected easily. “You did this! You did this! We weren’t even going to try to attack. It’s your fault. You couldn’t leave us alone to rebuild our lives.”

Naruto stared at her beating her hands against his chest. Tears streaked down her face and he was reminded of the day she had extracted a promise which forever changed his life.

“Sakura-chan…”

“Don’t call me that! You’re a monster. You aren’t my Naruto anymore.” She screamed as loud as she could, the children joining her chorus.

“I was never your Naruto,” Naruto hissed, tugging away from her. “If you’re building an army, why the hell do you have the pregnant women and children so close?”

“Army? We are building a village. A home. We don’t care about the Akatsuki.” Sakura slumped to the ground, defeated. Her pink hair fell around her face, hiding the tears he could see dripping to the dried soil.

“Where’s Sasuke?”

Sakura shook here head, her arms wrapped tightly around her enlarged abdomen. “Kakashi engaged him…I don’t know where they went…”

Naruto growled, prowling away when a large burst of chakra drew his attention. “Sasuke!”

Jumping over the rubble of buildings, he made his way to the top of what remained of Hokage Mountain. Only a part of the First and a bit of Tsunade’s face remained. The others had long since been destroyed the night Naruto’s power exploded.

The top came into view and there was Sasuke and Kakashi battling it out. Sasuke was in his prime while Kakashi seemed to be flagging but still holding his own. From the corner of his eye, he saw Taya smirking at the battle. He also saw her pull a kunai from a pouch secured at her waist. Her hand reeled back but Naruto could see the trajectory. It wasn’t aimed at Kakashi.

In a flash of yellow and black, he gripped her hand just as she was to release the weapon. Her eyes grew wide at the tan skin before her. Obviously she wasn’t expecting him. He didn’t even think of if he’d been moments later, he would have arrived to see Sasuke’s body bleeding into the stone top.

“Naruto-sama?” Her mouth barely completed his name before his Rasengan cupped fist plowed through her chest. The sound of her scream stopped the battle between Kakashi and Sasuke. Both turned to star at him. Sasuke looked at him as if he’d gone mad.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for fighting but I think there needs to be some talking so how about we call off the fighting for now and have a little chat.” Naruto dropped Taya’s body to the ground as if she was nothing but a toy.

“Naruto…”

“There’s talking to be done, Sasuke. Some people have lied to us and I think it’s time the truth is revealed before I lose control and just kill everyone.” Naruto sighed, his eyes leaving Sasuke to gaze at Kakashi. “You’re talking too.”

This was going to be a hell of a conversation if everything Naruto had put together in his mind was true. He only hoped Sasuke, Kakashi, and himself didn’t kill each other before it was over.


	4. Chapter 4

“Naruto? What the fuck?” Sasuke shook off his shock, glaring angrily in Naruto’s direction.

“Time to call off our shinobi, Sasuke. There are more important things.” Naruto glanced in Kakashi’s direction to insure the other wasn’t planning sneak attack. Regardless of cease fire orders, he was still a shinobi and both Naruto and Sasuke were now his enemies. He couldn’t be trusted just as he couldn’t trust them.

Naruto’s hands flew into an all too familiar sign. Suddenly, hundreds of Narutos appeared, disappearing into where shinobi still clashed weapons. Each shadow clone chose and bound a shinobi, regardless of affiliation.

Shouts of indignation echoed through the area from both sides. Those that wouldn’t calm down enough to sit quietly were incapacitated. Naruto grinned ferally from his position atop Hokage Mountain. He’d barely broken a sweat from the exertion. 

Sasuke stalked to where Naruto stood, grabbing his shoulder and forcing him to face his glowing red eyes. “You better have a fucking good explanation for this.”

Naruto huffed, glancing at Kakashi who was taking the moment to rest. It was a good move on his part. If he was forced to begin battling Sasuke again, he would need to recoup some of the lost energy. “You both should hear this.”

“Why does he need to know anything? He’s the enemy, Naruto.” Sasuke hand tightened on his katana, obviously itching to return to battle.

“We have a traitor in the Akatsuki.” 

Sasuke wheeled on him, fury radiating from him in a black fog. Naruto was instantly hard, making it hard to think when all he could do was visualize bending Sasuke over the nearest rock and fucking him until he couldn’t walk.

“What did you say, Naruto?” The black tomoe in Sasuke’s eyes began to shift, blending together to form the Mangekyou sharingan. After implanting Itachi’s eyes into Sasuke, Madara had essentially cured any vision problems while giving Sasuke a permanent Mangekyou. 

“I said what I said. We have a traitor. Does this place look ready for war? Don’t get me wrong, I have no love for these ruins and would like nothing better than to raze them to the ground but did you really look at who our shinobi were fighting or were you simply too focused on Kakashi to care?” Naruto pointed down to where the pregnant Sakura hustled the children through the streets and towards the nearby forest.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, not missing her very round abdomen. “Who?”

Naruto didn’t want to say. He didn’t want to speculate. It could be anyone. He’d made a mistake in killing Taya. She would have been a vital source of information. He’d lost it when she’s prepared to send her weapon flying towards an unaware Sasuke. The thought of losing Sasuke threatened to turn him feral. If Sasuke died, he would likely destroy all cities and people.

“Naruto…”

Naruto turned from Sasuke to face Kakashi. He looked older, more world weary. Naruto guessed seeing the son of his beloved teacher destroy the home he’d died to protect would do that to a person. “Kakashi.”

“It’s been a while, Naruto.” Kakashi remained seated, his headband once more covering his sharingan eye.

“What were you doing here? Are you raising an army?” Naruto felt the confusion in the shifting of Sasuke’s frame.

“Army? Against you? Is that what you think?” Kakashi’s face grew dark. “Is that all you think about? Destroying even hope for a normal life for the remaining people of this village.”

“There have been rebels…we’ve had to take care of several planted spies.” Sasuke’s scowling face matched Kakashi’s. “Just the other day, Naruto took care of one.”

Kakashi sighed. “A few people split off from us two years ago. They wanted revenge. We just wanted to rebuild. I don’t control the actions of people outside my care. There are only a handful of us at jounin level.”

Sasuke’s scowl grew exponentially. “We’re leaving.”

“Sasuke?”

“Naruto…right now, I’m about to explode from all the anger in me and these people aren‘t worth me even killing. Unless you want to help clean up the mess I’m about to make, we’re leaving. Don’t cross me, Kakashi. You can have your ruin of a village. Become as big as Suna for all I care. Just don’t forget who controls it all. Don’t forget what I require of all the villages.” Sasuke snarled, prowling away with Naruto on his heels.

Before he followed, Naruto glanced at Kakashi--a warning in his eyes. “Consider today training. We won’t stop you from seeking aid from Gaara if you think he’ll give it but don‘t get in our way.”

It was the most he would offer in remembrance of their former relationship. He didn’t make war on children though in their world, children grew up far too quickly. Bounding down the mountain, he reached Sasuke’s side. A quick motion of his hand had all the Akatsuki shinobi leaving as quickly as they came.

Naruto left his clones with the Konoha shinobi until he and Sasuke were some distance away. He winced at the sudden impact of knowledge as each dispelled. It was a disconcerting feeling to be washed with sudden thoughts and memories. He hadn’t used so many bunshin in a while.

“Naruto…I know…who the traitor is.” Sasuke jaw throbbed with how tightly he clenched it. His sharingan, while no longer Mangekyou, remained in his eyes. It was proof of just how upset Sasuke was. His chakra flared out almost uncontrollably. He was likely to burn himself out before too long.

“Who?”

“Suigetsu…” Sasuke slammed a chakra enhanced fist into a tree. “Fuck!”

Sasuke continued to pant, the air hissing through his teeth after destroying three more trees. His attacks were in no way comparable to Tsunade’s famous attacks but they were lethal enough to send the heavy pine trees to the ground. “When you left…I should have known something was off. He all but talked me into this. He set me up for Taya to attempt to kill me. Him and Taya.”

“It was them who wanted to send me away while you attacked.” He didn’t ask, but stated.

“It was sound reasoning. If Kakashi and Sakura were the ones in control of the rebels, you wouldn’t be able to kill them. You don’t have it in you to kill them.” Sasuke plowed his fist into a final tree, sending it crashing to the ground.

He paused to look at the broken skin over his knuckles. Blood dripped from where the harsh bark had sliced at his skin. Naruto took the hand, bringing it to his lips and lapping at the trickles of blood. “I can kill anyone if necessary. Killing them has never been…necessary.”

“And if I told you killing them was necessary?” Sasuke moved close to Naruto, his hand pressing against the hard chest. 

“Is it necessary?” Naruto was fully prepared to return to the budding village built on the ruins of an old one and slaughter every man, woman, and child. He wouldn’t do it because Sasuke said to but because if Sasuke said it was necessary, it was. His insides tightened up with excitement at the thought of returning to the village. The memories of what it had stood for burned harshly in his mind.

“Not yet.”

Naruto smiled, lowering his lips to nip at Sasuke’s. “Should it become necessary…it would give me pleasure to bath in their blood.”

Sasuke purred, his tongue shooting out to dab the slight hurt caused by Naruto’s teeth only to be captured by Naruto’s lips. As far as kisses went, this one was gentle by their standards. Lips slide over each other, slicked by saliva and the faintest hint of blood. Tongues slid in and out in slow swipes until Sasuke became impatient with the slow motions.

He pulled back, slid his hand up Naruto’s chest and pulled the black fishnet shirt and jacket aside to reveal the junction between tan shoulder and neck. Sasuke growled into Naruto’s skin, biting deeply in the sweat damp skin. Naruto moaned as his hand reached up to snag Sasuke’s sweat soaked hair. 

Their lips met again, this time with furious clashing of teeth and tongue. It wasn’t the place or the time for sex yet for them, it was a much needed diversion before possibly facing something neither wanted to.

“You woke up the beast,” snarled Naruto.

Sasuke pulled back to stare into the fierce eyes presented to him. “Good.”

Naruto lost all willpower. He slammed Sasuke into one of the trees Sasuke hadn’t sent to the ground. There was a distinctive odor of blood and lust in the air. The rough bark scratched Sasuke’s skin through the holes in his shirt. He didn’t seem to mind or more appropriately, he seemed to enjoy the pain. His legs wrapped around Naruto’s waist while his hands clawed desperately at the other’s shirt.

Naruto, unable to fight the lust, slammed Sasuke to the tree again, enjoying the grunt the other released. Heat flared through the area. In a tandem of screams and cries, the two came together in the violence representative of the lives they led. There was no room for gentle or patient. The take what you wanted mentality had been engraved into their very being.

Sasuke’s body bent over one of the newly felled trees, their breath panted in and out--it was comfort them. Sasuke needed to the pain to forget his own. Naruto needed to dominate Sasuke’s body to consol himself to a role as second instead of alpha. All these understandings were unconscious yet neither dismissed what the other felt.

“Mine.” Naruto growled, thrusting even harder into the struggling body. The struggles were nothing more than a ruse, a way of shouting without words that he was not a docile lover in need of gentle strokes and whispered words of love. He needed this passion regardless that the future might dictate it burn out just as quickly as it came. Better to flare brightly and burn out quickly than to exist in only a dull wisp of a flame.

Fighting came natural to them. They could no more deny it than they could the need to breathe. To fight when fucking was the only pleasing option. It defined who they were and what they had become.

Each pulse of their bodies--each twinge of pain and pleasure was the sign of just how strong they connection had become. Naruto felt Sasuke’s pain and Sasuke reveled in Naruto’s pleasure. It was a perfect union. Violence and wildness only made the pleasure all the sweeter.

Sasuke’s body jerked and went rigid, convulsing around the organ piercing him deeply. He screamed out in pleasure and pain, a mixing of the two in an unbearable burst of passion. His essence spilled upon the ground followed by wet heat pouring into him and a matching cry of pleasure.

Naruto’s hands dug furrows in the pale hips beneath him. Blood welled to the marks, adding a heavier tone of blood to their mating. It couldn’t be called loving in any form. It was a claiming of each other. Naruto marked Sasuke’s body as his just as Sasuke marked him.

They only had minutes to rest. Speed would be key in the upcoming hours. Though, they could spare a few moments to relish in the physical touch of the other. This might be the only chance they have for hours or days.

When Sasuke moved away, Naruto could do no other than follow. They adjusted their clothes and cleaned the semen and blood from their bodies before silently taking to the trees.

Sasuke’s hard face told Naruto more than words ever could. The betrayer, Suigetsu, had done something unforgivable. He sought more than to depose Sasuke from power. Taya’s aim would have taken him down permanently. She was known for her throwing skill. Perhaps he wanted to kill Sasuke for no other reason than to drive Naruto insane. It was no secret the two despised each other. Naruto hated Suigetsu for the position he’d held in Sasuke’s bed. Suigetsu’s reasons were still a mystery but no less evident in the way he spoke to and picked fights with him.

“What are you going to do, Sasuke?”

Sasuke was silent. They had long since passed their returning shinobi. There were none who could equal Naruto and Sasuke in speed. 

It was only a short while before Sasuke stood before the gate into the stronghold. His jaw was set and his muscles taunt. He was prepared for a fight and Naruto was determined to have his back. Sasuke would need his support.

“I’m going to kill him.”

Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, his lips pulled down into a frown. “Do you need me to?”

For a moment Sasuke’s face softened. “What type of leader am I if I can’t mete out the proper punishment?”

Naruto shrugged, turning his gaze away from the intensity of his lover’s gaze. It was Sasuke’s battle. He would support him as he always had. Now was a time when he would be required to defend his position in this world.

The complex was silent. No one, no matter who they supported, would attack. Sasuke had returned and the rules of war dictated he would face his opponent unfettered by others. Honor would not allow others to interfere and Naruto would see they didn’t. He would take great pleasure in it.

Sasuke’s face resembled stone--pure white marble. The slight stubble on his jaw and the veins spreading in faint blues and purples only gave character to him. He wasn’t a doll or puppet. He was a living man filled with all the emotions of men. Naruto could see it swirling in his eyes despite the neutrality of his face. Any traces of the innocent boy of their youth were erased. Before Naruto’s eyes he became the war hardened shinobi both carried inside.

Their sandals created a faint tapping on the stone floors. The sun faded in the horizon, creating deep shadows amidst the colors of orange and red--Naruto’s two favorite colors. Orange represented his past and what he’d left behind. Red represented his future and what he would accomplish. His goals had not changed, only the manner he achieved them. Perhaps it made him evil. He didn’t feel evil. Sasuke didn’t feel evil. They were hard men who refused to follow the rules of others and instead made the world follow theirs.

Naruto pushed open the doors to the large meeting room. Their footsteps echoed on the stone in the mostly empty room. Suigetsu was waiting for them, not even bothering to mask his presence. He was calm as the water he controlled, seated in the place Sasuke usually occupied. His face, clear of the burns inflicted by Naruto’s burning chakra, was held in an impartial mask.

“I should have known Naruto would come to your rescue like the dog he is.” Suigetsu’s mask of indifference dropped, a scowl creasing his face.

“Leave Naruto out. Why, Suigetsu?” Sasuke asked.

“Why? Why did Taya try to kill you? Why did I send you to slaughter a group of barely trained shinobi hoping to rebuild a village?” Suigetsu jumped to his feet, prowling around like a caged cat. “I did everything for you. I was willing to fade into the background as long as I had you.”

“What?”

Lavender eyes softened for a moment before turning hard. “I wanted it like in the beginning. You, me, Juugo, and even that bitch Karin. Fucking Karin. She had to be stupid, going to you in the middle of a battle with that fucker, Danzou. Then she dies in the village that Naruto blew up.”

Suigetsu glared at Naruto, obviously blaming him for her death. He was, to a certain extent to blame. If he cared one ounce about Karin, he might have felt a wave of pity for Suigetsu. He didn’t care for most of the people who’d died in a village he’d once held dear. It didn’t matter to him if Karin died in an explosion of chakra or in a bar brawl. His impassive face let Suigetsu know just what he thought about having been the direct cause of Karin’s demise.

“Why kill me?” Sasuke looked at the distraught Suigetsu. For a moment, Naruto thought he might attack. Right now he would be easily taken out. He didn’t move. Instead, he waited. Contrary to many of his actions, Sasuke had a strong sense of honor. He was raised to be that way.

“Because you wanted him. Knowing what he did and who he is, you wanted him anyway. Any time I was with you, you would close your eyes. I know you were imagining him. He’s in your blood and heart. There’s no room for me.” Suigetsu stopped pacing and moved to the throne like chair where a massive blade leaned against it “You know, I always wanted to be recognized by the great swordsmen of Mist. I wanted to kill them and take their blades. Funny, I should have just made my own. It feels better when it’s your own sword.”

“Suigetsu…”

“There’s no turning back, Sasuke. I challenge you for the right to lead Akatsuki.” Suigetsu pointed the massive blade at Sasuke.

Sasuke remained motionless. His eyes blinked slowly, each motion transforming them. After each blink, a new tomoe was present until three swirling marks moved in synchronization. “As you wish.”

The movement was so slight, Naruto barely caught it. It was almost a sigh of resignation. Sasuke would give this fight his all. He would not dishonor himself or Suigetsu with holding back. His hand reached behind him, withdrawing the slim katana. One might think such a small blade against the monstrosity Suigetsu wielded would be an act of foolishness. The difference being, in Sasuke’s hand, the small blade was one of the deadliest in the world.

Naruto moved to the side, his eyes watching each movement. Honor or no, if Sasuke’s life was endangered, he would intervene and slay Suigetsu. Not that he was worried. He would actually be sorry to see Suigetsu die. He liked their verbal battles almost as much as he loved having them with Sasuke.

In a flash, both men attacked. Both moved with such speed, Naruto had to focus in order to follow the battle. For such a large sword, Suigetsu wielded it with amazing speed and dexterity. If Sasuke had been any slower, he would have been sliced in half. Instead, he dodged the attack, countering with a quick swing of his own.

Sparks danced in the air with each meeting of blades. The clashing of metal drew the attention of every person in the complex from the lowest ranking shinobi to the most powerful. Not a single voice cheered. There were not jibs or loud ruckus. The excitement was palatable though none showed it on their faces. This was not a time for that. All watched with the knowledge one of them would die.

Naruto winced as Suigetsu’s blade grazed his side. First blood. The action brought home to both men the severity of this battle. The world might as well have been watching. That Sasuke didn’t use his Mangekyou and Suigetsu didn’t use his hydration technique spoke loudly of the respect each held for the other in spite of their current battle. 

“You don’t have to do this,” Sasuke hissed, using his chakra to dodge a particularly violent swing.

“Stop your talk, Sasuke. The challenge has been issued. Things can never be the way they were.” Suigetsu paused in his movement, excitement in his gaze. “If I die, I’ll die with a smile on my face knowing I died in battle. If I kill you, I’ll know I beat one of the greatest swordsmen in the shinobi world. It’s win/win to me.”

“Then I suppose I should stop fucking around,” said Sasuke, more to himself than to Suigetsu.

Sasuke moved quick, dodging a slash and punching his fist into Suigetsu’s face. The other flew backward, stopping his movement with his sword. Blood dribbled from his lips, splattering on the floor. If one was keeping score, the two would be tied but as with all battles, there must be a winner.

Sasuke didn’t wait for Suigetsu to reacquire his bearings. He moved in, his blade ripping through the other’s shoulder and rendering his arm useless. Naruto was amazing Suigetsu didn’t scream out in agony. Even from where he stood, the wound had to hurt like hell.

He moved away, quickly weighing his strategies. Sasuke wasn’t foolish enough to barrel in again. Suigetsu would be ready for him in such an attack. Instead, he leveled out his katana, testing the air in the room.

Suigetsu seemed to pause, his face creasing in a small smile very uncharacteristic of what Naruto knew about him. In a quick motion, Suigetsu charged--attacking hard but leaving himself open in such a way, Sasuke would have been unable to resist the opening.

The katana slid smoothly through the other’s abdomen with nary a sound. For the longest time, the two remained still--locked in the same position. A wide grin split Suigetsu’s face, revealing the sharp white teeth.

“I knew you would be the one to kill me. Karin, that bitch, she never believed me when I said I wouldn’t die of old age but by your hand.” Suigetsu coughed a little, a trickle of blood running from his lips.

Sasuke extracted the sword, catching the limp body. Naruto approached cautiously, looking down at the dying man. He could have evaded the attack. It wouldn’t have been difficult. He didn’t because he didn’t want to kill Sasuke, not really. If Taya killed him while distracted, it would have been easier to bear. Naruto understood him in that moment.

“I’ll get a medic, you’ve been put in your place.” Sasuke moved to stand, only to be stopped by Suigetsu’s hand clenching in the black fishnet shirt.

“Don’t. It’s better this way. I have a feeling those three are waiting for me.” Suigetsu seemed to stare off for a minute, jerking back into reality at Sasuke’s shake. His eyes turned to Naruto. “Juugo wants you to look after Sasuke.”

Naruto nodded, glancing at Sasuke who was now crying. It must hurt, losing teammates like that. They were like brothers and sisters-bonds formed in the heat of battle.

“You know, Karin’s still a bitch…but damn, she’s hot. I hope you don’t mind me choosing her over you, this time Sasuke.” Suigetsu’s breathing became ragged, his hand losing its grip on Sasuke.

Sasuke shook his head. “I think she’d like that. She always did seem like she liked those fights of yours.”

“Yeah…me too. I miss them.” Suigetsu coughed a bit. “Shut up, bitch. I’ll die when I’m good and ready.”

Sasuke’s tears poured even heavier from his eyes. Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder, lending his support. 

“Sasuke, we’ll be waiting on you. Bring Naruto if you want. I still have…to beat…his ass.” Suigetsu’s eyes began to glaze over. “Stupid bitch…she…wont…shut…up…”

His body gave one final shudder before going limp against Sasuke. Tremors ran up and down Sasuke’s body. A snarl directed at the spectators was enough to send them scattering and leaving the two alone. It was then Sasuke cried out, resting his head on Suigetsu’s chest.

It was a long while before Sasuke spoke. Naruto didn’t mind waiting. His friend, partner, and lover was mourning the loss of a friend. Waiting was easy. When Sasuke finally spoke, it was in a voice cracked from crying. 

“Naruto…do you think he saw them?”

“Your teammates?”

“Yeah.”

Naruto thought for a minute. He wasn’t particularly spiritual. Sure he’d met his father in his head but he wasn’t sure if that was his father, or just a trick of the seal. “I think he did. Though, I never knew Karin well, I think she was the only one who could get a rise out of him even if he was dying. Only the real Karin could do that.”

Sasuke smiled, standing from where he knelt. “I think so too.”

“What are you going to do?”

Sasuke lifted his katana from the ground. Taking out a cloth, he cleaned the blood from it. “Bury Suigetsu. Then go about things as usual.”

Naruto understood the unspoken meaning. It was the way of the shinobi. It was good to mourn the loss of comrades, but one shouldn’t lose himself in the past. Their life didn’t allow for sentimentality. The saying ‘life is too short’ took on new meaning with shinobi. Any day could be their last.

“Life goes on?”

Sasuke smirked, “Life goes on.”

“You know next time you get challenged for your position, let me fight. I feel like I’m getting rusty. No one offers a challenge any more.” Naruto complained, the two walking towards their bedroom.

“Not even me?” Sasuke arched a brow in challenge.

Naruto snorted loudly. “You don’t count Sasuke. I always end up fucking you.” 

“Then learn to control your libido.”

“Bastard!” Naruto took a swing which Sasuke easily dodged. “You’re the one who leads me on. Like now, I could fuck you into the floor.”

“Promises, promises.” Sasuke purred.

The dark is often mistaken for evil when in fact it is only the absence of light. Naruto knew this and accepted that part of him. He didn’t see himself as evil, though he’d done things he wasn’t proud of. He no longer jumped to help the weak or followed the command of others simply because they were his superior. He answered more to himself than to others. Since seeing Kakashi and Sakura--since seeing Sasuke show mercy on his former teammates, Naruto decided he and Sasuke didn’t reside in the dark, per say. He felt they were more in the gray area. That’s not to say he didn’t love the thrill of battle or the taste of fear in his opponent but he wasn’t evil. He didn’t hurt people just because he could. He’d traded his innocence for a life unbound by the restraints of the shinobi life and his purity for a chance to save the love of his life. It was a fair trade and one he would do again if given the choice. 

He accepted the darkness in him, but he also accepted the parts of himself he could never change. He would forever love orange. Ramen was still his favorite food. And, he would kill anyone who tried to take Sasuke from him and bath in their blood. No he wasn’t evil. He was just dark.

The End.


End file.
